The Washington critic., 1887-11-16
Notable Characters in tho Govern.
ment Hospital for The Insane.
MIR. MANNING'S HEALTH.
Reminiscences of Famous Congress
sional Reporter.

chatty style. Referring to some of the
more notable inmates Of the institution
she says: One of the most important
personages, falsely imprisoned" of
course, is General Herman Buchlers,
who has been there over twenty years.
He Is good looking, gentlemanly and
very particular about his dress, and It
Is not until he begins to talk with you
that you discover his "crankiness."
He shook hands with me, urged me to
be seated, and then / had to listen to
the story of his grievances, and was
invited to read poem of eighteen
verses Of his composition, entitled
Falsely Imprisoned" and was also
commissioned with various messages to
his friends outside, to come and take
him away. OF course, they have to be
humored in all their whlms, but 1t Is
hard to get away from these inveterate
takers. He wrote me his full and
elaborate address and the following
verse: His Excelency, Major. General
and DR.. Herman Buchiers, Com.
mander in Chief U. S. Army and
Navy, Commander Of the U. S., Pro
fessor of Dental Surgery, owner of the
ST. Elizabeth Hospital for the Insane,
etc. ETC., ETC., came In April Z, 1865"
life is short, Its days are measured,
Therefore have your earnings treasured;
God one day will call you from here,
When your body lays on the bier,
When your soul appears before Him,
who Knows your actions to pinlh
have messages, too, to deliver to the
Speaker of the House from Colonel
Morris Pinchover, whom we found
taking constitutional" about the
grounds. He Is quite character, and
made himself notorious In town by his
stories OF the vast amount of property
he owned and his extensive claims of
several millions Of dollars upon the
Government. He was present at the
opening OF Congress one morning, and
forced his way among the members,
boisterously demanding his rights.
Hon. j. Q. S. Blackburn was the only
one who could quiet him, and he was
soon after sent to the asylum, where he
has remained for several years, and
judging by his present condition, will
stay for some time to come; but / graft.
fled him with promise to see Mr..
Carlisle at once and have him re.
leased.
~
Says the New York Grdphic Of Mon.
day: Justice Horace Gray of the Su-
preme Court has just gone back to
Washington after quiet week at the
Brunswick. He is a great, strapping,
broad.faced, bald headed man, without
the slightest evidence about him Of
the Massachusetts, Puritanism from
which he sprang. He is the champion
bon.vivant Of the court and by long
odds the most companionable and
genial man. not excepting Stanley
Matthews, on the Supreme Bench.
Before he was appointed to his present
place he was In the highest court of
Massachusetts, and many sudden
shock he used to give grave old Judge
Ames and the now Secretary of War
Endicott, who were on the bench with
him. He had way of putting his
judicial decisions that hardly COM
ported with the views of the solemn
faced old boys who were his associates,
and he has brought the custom with
him to the Supreme Bench.
~.
Said a veteran of the stenographic
profession to New York World re.
porter the other day: The man who
is to-day beyond the reach of the short.
hand men is Congressman w. Bourke
Cochran of this city, and l doubt If
there is stenographer who would
have the hardihood to guarantee an
absolutely accurate report of one of his
speeches. He Is deliberate enough at
first, and the man who Is green at
taking him Is lulled into the belief that
he Is going to have picnic, but when
he spreads his wings and Is off on one
OF his flights Of eloquence, the poor
reporter who has attempted to follow
him finds his pen brought to a stand
still while he looks implorlngly at the
orator, who is fast disappearing through
the clouds, out of the reporters sight
and hearing. lie is lost. He says
something. about CREASED lightning,
and gives 1t up"
A New Yorker informs me, says
Macfarland of the Philadelphia Record,
that eXSecretary Daniel Manning has
never recovered and would never
recover from his stroke of paralysis.
lie is constantly under physicians
care. The latter will not let him walk
for any considerable distance or climb
single flight Of stairs-so Manning
drives oil over town, and has had an
elevator put In the residence he has
taken on lower Fifth avenue. He
takes life very easily-drives down to
the Western National Bank, of which
he is president, and the skillful and
energetic eXTreasurer, Conrad N.
Jordan, is cashier and manager, stays
awhile In the presidents room and
drives home, eats simply and sleeps
good deal. He Is practically locker.
on In busy New York.
***
Says Washington correspondent of
the New York Tribune: Mr.. McElhone
enjoyed the most friendly relations
with Stephen A. Douglas and John G.
Breckinridge, and was favored friend
Of Daniel Webster. When John @.
Breckenridge first came to Washington
as Member of Congress he brought
letter of introduction to Mr.. McElhone,
and when his son, c. Il. Breckenridge,
came'to the last Congress as a Repre-.
sentative from Arkansas he also pre-
scnted letter Of Introduction to the
official reporter, who was holding the
same position as when the new Con.
gressman's father first made his ap.
pcarance in public life. Mr.. McEl.
hone began his Congressional career in
the Senate, where he was employed to
take check notes of the debates. When
Benton and Foote had their little un.
pleasantness on the floor of the Senate,
In the course of which Foote drew his
Hat II 4. Al r.